Jim_Iain

Iain's a Chardonnay drinker and his preference in Luminae is Louis Jadot Steele. They don't always have it stocked but the Sommelier always acquires it.

Thanks. Will definitely be booking it. I haven't been to a planetarium since I was a kid and would go to the Hayden Planetarium in NY

I'lll be right over. Nothing is better than Sweet Corn fresh from the Garden ... I really miss growing Tomatoes... Maybe next year I will put some in again.

LOL.. ok got me. Okra is my second no go - Veg.

How do you book in advance. Is this done via MyCunard once on the ship?

The balconies are indeed narrow and wrap around. The balconies were a retrofit - the original M-Class Celebrity Suite did not have a balcony... just big windows. One think to take into consideration is the bath/shower. It is extremely high and many find it difficult to get into and out of. It's about a 3.5 Foot climb. One thing I like is there are no windows in the bedroom and it gets pitch black--- great for sleeping in.

Best advice is to check the sticky on MoveUp at the top of the threads. You can review what people bid, price ranges and what prices were accepted. It really helps to understand. You will receive the amenities that come with room, e.g. Luminae, Retreat etc but will not receive the upgraded perks... eg Premium Drink Package, Points Free Premium Internet etc.

Thought I would next look at menus. I've heard so many good things about Oceania Cruises and looking forward to experience it. I will have to admit I've read a number of reviews that like all other cruise lines the quality and selection has diminished post Covid. First I will post a sample Oceania Menu and will compare it to a Luminae Menu. I will try not to be negative about Luminae as after 24 years their menu has only slightly changed after all these years. First Up Oceania I also dropped a PDF if it is hard to read. Grand-Dining-Room-Dinner-Menu.pdf

Iain is from Scotland and we lived in Ireland for 3 years so had plenty of lamb. Actually when we lived there the EC had a glut of Lamb and it was our least expensive meat. I did notice that both the Beef and Lamb were much more full flavored almost on the edge of gamy.

I would think the New Zealand lamb would have been great. Even Celebrity locally sourced the lamb on our recent Australia and Asian cruises.

That will be interesting to see if we make breakfast. In 24 years of sailing we have only had breakfast in the dining room once. The only reason we did that was the waiter insisted we had to try it once. We have often had room service breakfast when we have an early excursion. Normally breakfast is Toast and Tea or Coffee.

I've heard that and have to agree. We try not to do the Buffet on Celebrity but sometimes there isn't much choice.

One of the very few foods I detest are BEETS... Yuck... I think my distaste comes from my mother forcing me to eat them as a child. Definitely won't be ordering that on. I have a feeling that we may be able Try out Terrace Grill at some point. Being an Alaska and Coastal cruise it may be too cool but will play it by ear. When on Ponant they had a similar setup and served the same menu as the MDR but in a much more relaxed setting. They did a mixed service with self service for salads and deserts but the al la carte dinner was waiter served.

Believe me I'm still learning as we go on. It will be fun to look back at my anticipation and compare to my first experience on Oceania.

With due respect... you have your guidance reversed... You cannot bring a power strip on a cruise because the built-in surge protector is a fire risk.

I would think you can manage if you don't need High Definition --- Wish you had the opportunity to try it out in advance. Not sure you will be able to get 10 Down and Upload on Celebrity.

They all sound nice. I should have said that I don't mind some spice and pretty accustom to Asian fusion. We have a tenancy to eat mostly Fish, Chicken and pork. I will however confess --- I LOVE lamb.

I'm confident that they would accommodate a request to prepare without the glaze. Sea Bass is one of my favorites.

I've read that. As a Celebrity Cruiser I find that unusual. On Celebrity you only pay the amount over the Max price. I'm hearing it is the same on Oceania as Cunard.

I was on a ship when they went live with Starlink. It was a B2B. The first cruise they weren't advertising but Starlink was totally unthrottled. I was getting speeds up to 100 MPS up and down. The next week --- Max 5 Down and 2.5-3 Upload. What exactly are you wanting to do from the ship? I always bring my Firestick with us and have no problem streaming YouTubeTV, Netflix etc. I've also done numerous Zoom Calls and regularly use Voip Phone. I do alot of uploads for my live posts and while a bit slow is not a show stopper.

Wow... just realized this thread was resurrected from 2014.....

Yes --- I've tested and it is the same as wireless.

Yes Reflection has Starllink. Can you get around the Speed Cap on premium? -- No Use of a travel router and VPN will slow your connection down further. It's like a faucet - if it is turned down your no going to get any more water out of it regardless of nozzle.

If you have an American booking in Queen Grill is it somehow marked on your card? Or do you have to tell them?

I had a problem with reception a couple years ago and they installed an access point in the room (this was per-revolution and pre-Starlink). It gave me decent internet. Out of curiosity I tried to connect via Ethernet cable... It would not work for me. The access point did not have an additional port to plug into.